Where does California rank among nation's most obese states?

Mississippi has the highest obesity rate with 34.9% of state residents who are roughly 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight, and Colorado has the lowest rate at 20.7%, new government data show.

The South has the highest percentage of people (29.5%) who are too heavy, followed by the Midwest (29%), Northeast (25.3%) and West (24.3%). No state has an obesity rate of less than 20%, the findings show.

This report is based on 2011 state-by-state obesity data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in which people self-report their height and weight. Because people tend to underreport their weight, the percentage of people who are obese is probably higher than the statistics indicate. The statistics are from Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data.

CDC data from another, more rigorous study in which people are weighed and measured indicate that about 36% of U.S. adults are obese. Extra weight raises the risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other problems.

The new study does not offer an overall obesity rate for the country, but breaks down rates by state as follows: